Departments and researchers involved in human subjects research should be aware that the Human Subjects Office, with feedback from a committee on which I serve, is undertaking an "IRB Efficiency Initiative" with the goal of reducing the time to approval and making the IRB application process easier.

The OVPR is sending updates in its newsletters, and the HSO is also sending some communications to IRB researchers by email. But the best way to stay apprised of these changes and improvements is to bookmark the IRB Efficiency Initiative website. Checking this monthly is a good idea to stay abreast of changes. There, you can click on the Project Updates tab, where you can see (for example) PowerPoint slides presented to the Council of Deans in December. There is also a projected timeline and a link to sign up for Information Sessions.

Please avail yourself of these and stay informed about the process. Many CLAS researchers have asked for these improvements, so I encourage you to stay informed and provide any feedback you may have during the process.